Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1887-08-06
WHY SHE BECAME A NlHlLlST

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If the eXtradition treaty agreed upon
by oar government with Russia is CON
tirneG by our Senate, America will no
longer afford an asylum to victims of
despotic power. They will be hunted as
were the slaves under the old fugitive
slave law, but with no Canada of security
in view.
The following is an extract from the
Milwaukee Sentinel of an account of
visit to camp Of Russian, Polish and
German refugees near New York. The
circle met there is said to be composed
of educated and cleverpeople. The only
person speaking was a handsome Jewess,
tWenty-four or twenty-five years old.
Someone asking, "What made you a
Nhilist, Dora?" she replied:
Nothing very remarkable to us Rus
slams ! belong to good family in a
small town in the Warsaw province.
married the rabbi of our synagogue, and
we were very happy for few months.
The Gar then made change and sent
down new governor from st. Peters
burg to replace our old one, who was
good and Just man, although Russian
general. The newcomer had every vice
and no virtue of any kind. He was so
bad and cruel that our friends and rela-
tives wrote us when he came warning us
against him. My husband the next Sab
bath in the synagogue told our people
about him, and advised them to be over
cautious in not violating any one of the
thousand tyrannical laws with which we
were cursed. Though he spoke in He
brew for fear of spies, someone betrayed
him to the governor. He was arrested,
tried, flogged on the public square into
insensibility and sent to Siberia for life.
| was present when he underwent his
agony, and stood it until became crazed.
| broke through the crowd toward the
wretch of an official and cursed him and
his master the Gar, swOre vengeance
against both. too was arrested, tried
at court-martial and sentenced to receive
100 blows with the rod in the public
square. |. woman, was taken by
drunken Moujiks and heather Cossacks
to the place, tied by my hands to the
whipping post, my clothing torn from
my body to the waist, and beaten before
all the soldiery and the people of the
town. At the twentieth blow tainted,
but the ropes held me up and the full
hundred were counted on my body.
They cut me down, rubbed rock salt and
water and some iron that eats like fire
into my back to stop the bleeding and
carried me to the hospital. ! lay there
two months and was discharged. ! had
but one desire then, and that was ven
geance. BY patience managed to get
employment in the governors palace as
a seamstrcss One afternoon he was in
his bath and sent for towels. The at
tendant was tired and | volunteered to
take them. | threw them over my arm
and under them held long stiletto, as
sharp as a needle. entered the room
and he was reading and smoking in his
bath. laid the towels by his side with
my left hand and at the next moment
with my right | drove the the knife
through his heart. 1t was splendidly
done. lie never made a sound and es-
capped to this land. That is why | am a
Nlhlllst. DO any of you doubt" She
sprang excitediy from her chair and in
half minute had barred herself to the
waist. The front of her form from neck
to belt might have passed as the model
of the Venus di Milo, but the back !
Ridges, wets and burrows that crossed
and interlaced as if cut out with redhot
iron; patches of white, gray, pink, blue
and angry red; holes and hollows with
hard, hideous edges, half visible ribs and
the edges of ruined muscles, and all of
which moved, contracted and heightened
with the swaying of her body. There
was IA gasp from every one present The
aged host rose, silently kissed her on the
forehead and helped her to put back her
garments. Then again the wine passed
round and what secret toasts were made
as the party drank will never be known.
IL